Readers of this blog know I have an affinity for fishing in the Klamath Basin. Today the longstanding drought is the most severe ever and the situation is dire.  Rivers are at all time lows, the national wildlife refuge is now home to dust devils, migratory birds will soon have no place to rest and eat on their flight north, Upper Klamath Lake is so low that native fish cannot spawn, groundwater is dropping from unsustainable extraction, high temperatures are creating unprecedented kills of salmon in the Klamath River, forests are burning (around some great places to fish), and farmers are losing their livelihoods.  There simply is not enough water to go around. 

WaterWatch’s South Oregon Program Director Jim McCarthy recently had an excellent interview on OPB’s “Think Out Loud” where he outlined the problems and a solution that could work with a little legislative action. I think it is well worth 20 minutes of your time.